[Destro]

No and it is complicated. In this case it is Nationalist Turks who are not quite fundamentalists. The Turks were ruled by a system that resembles Saddam's Iraq Baath party. All ethnicities had to deny being anything but Turkish. Since Turkey was Muslim (but an Islam that serves the nationalist state) that meant Christians were hard pressed - not because it was an issue of them being Christian but of not being part of the official religion of state.

That is why the Turks went after their minorities in the start of the 20th century like the Greeks and Armenians. Because they could not be assimilated no so much so that they were Christians, IMHO.

Turkey is an artifical nation like Iraq. It is made up of dozens of nationalities. The only way Ataturk the modern founder of secular Turkey could for a state was to abolish all differences and force everyone to call themselves Turks and adopt the state religion of Islam. If they could not and would not they were seen as a threat to be removed. Turks inner fear is that one day Turkey will be broken up when Turks start asserting their true banned ethnicity and stop calling themselves the generic "Turk".

[a_Turk]

>> Turkey is an artifical nation like Iraq. It is made up of dozens of nationalities.

Sounds like the USA?

You're one of the agitators, snickering in his dark corner.

>> IMHO

you make me laugh.

[valkyrieanne]

Turks inner fear is that one day Turkey will be broken up when Turks start asserting their true banned ethnicity and stop calling themselves the generic "Turk".

Correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that not only is Turkey a country, but there is a distinct "Turkic" or "Turkish" ethnic group as well as Turkic languages. People ethnically Turkish can be of different religions.

*Is* Islam the "state religion" of Turkey? I thought the state was supposed to be secular.

Not trying to start a flame war; just asking, because I don't know that much about it.